COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Hello, True Believers (thanks, Stan!)!  Once again, our comic shop is open, and THIS week, we go into our Marvel bin to pick out one of THE most iconic books in the history of the medium. This book has had its cover replicated MANY times in homage.  It introduces us to one of THE most legendary and iconic superheroes to EVER have existed, and this character, due to his OVERWHELMING popularity, has become Marvel's flagship character.  So, in honor of the day recently devoted to him, and this being his legendary debut---we're taking a look at the book that brought us Spider-Man!

AMAZING FANTASY #15

COVER ART: Jack Kirby

WRITER: Stan Lee

ARTIST: Steve Ditko

INKS: Steve Ditko

COLORS: Stan Goldberg

LETTERS: Artie Simek

EDITOR: Martin Goodman

COVER DATE: August 1962

PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics

QUOTE:  "Though the world may mock Peter Parker, the timid teenager...it will soon marvel at the awesome might of...SPIDER-MAN!"

TAGLINES:  Introducing....SPIDER-MAN  Also in this issue:  An important message to YOU from the Editor--about the NEW Amazing!

STORY TITLES:  "Spider-Man!", "The Bell Ringer!", "Man in the Mummy Case!", "There Are Martians Among Us!"

Amazing Fantasy #15 was a book that was originally called Amazing Adult Fantasy, and had run about 14 issues between 1961-1962, and was another variety/anthology title that featured different stories compiled into one book.  It was a book Stan Lee was writing, and soon the title was changed to just Amazing Fantasy.  The numbers for the book was down, and Editor Martin Goodman decided to cancel the book.  Having helped launch Marvel with Fantastic Four, Stan decided to create a new character, where he was just going to write what he wanted, considering the book was done anyway, so he came up with the story of a geeky teenage kid who gets superpowers, and becomes a superhero.  Figuring no one would read it, and it was just a "filler" issue, Stan, who said he got the idea from watching a spider on the wall, created the name Spider-Man.  His cohort at the time, Steve Ditko, fleshed out the costume and look for Peter and Spidey, and they went to work (there was rumors...based on who you talked to at the time they were all alive, as to WHO designed Spidey--Steve Ditko or Jack Kirby).  Spidey premiered, and the issue sold like hotcakes.  Goodman thought that when the issue hit stands, no one would care, and wouldn't like a hero named Spider-Man---but he was dead wrong!  Spider-Man became such an instant hit, that it wasn't too much longer that Marvel geen-lit The Amazing Spider-Man later on that year....and the rest is history.  There were three other stories in the book that were penned by Stan and illustrated by Ditko...but they meant nothing compared to Spider-Man.

THE STORIES:  "Spider-Man!" - Teenager Peter Parker gets bit by a radioactive spider, and gains super powers based on this spider.  He goes into show business to help his aunt and uncle, but when he lets a burglar escape, his uncle is killed in the process.  Peter then learns that with great power, comes great responsibility.

"The Bell Ringer!" - Old Pedros is a bell ringer in a church who alarms the town about the erupting volcano near them.  He stays to keep the bell ringing until everyone is safe, only for them to discover a shocking event.

"The Man in the Mummy Case!" - A criminal takes up an offer from a mummy to hide in his case to escape the police, and to become a slave in ancient Egypt.

"There Are Martians Among Us!" - A man leaves his wife to do some errands, when she is kidnapped by Martians.  Desperate to find her, he contacts another Martian---and we discover that HE is a Martian himself.

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I didn't read the final issue of Amazing Fantasy upon it's publication, nor did I get a reprint.  I had read it in a reprint of it in the comic Marvel Tales, as it also had the origin of Dr. Strange.  Stan's story about Spidey was brilliant, to the point, and filled with all the typical teen drama catchings, and set us up for a future we had NO IDEA would head into the stratosphere of popularity.  The original thought was to have Spidey appear in this book on a regular basis, but Goodman, despite the issue's sales, decided to can the book before Stan and Steve had a chance to produce more stories.  But Goodman liked Spidey, so he gave him his own book instead.  The other stories were shorts written by Stan and Steve, and were short backup stories to fill the 36 pages of the book.  Overall, if you got your hands on this issue....you've got it safely tucked away somewhere, regardless of condition, and will NEVER let it out of your sight.

NEXT WEEK:  We dive into our bins to find another gem to talk about!